Chapter 47: A Kiss Before Parting
“The mark on your waist there, what is it? A mosquito bite?”
In the middle of winter, where would a mosquito even come from?
Hearing the photographer’s question, Gu Tang lowered his head and looked.
This was the last day of the school magazine shoot. Everyone had come to the mountaintop early to photograph the sunrise. To highlight the teenagers’ bright and spirited energy, they all had to wear neat, cropped outfits and raise their arms in a pose of embracing the morning sun.
The moment Gu Tang lifted his arm, a strip of pale waist showed beneath the short down jacket, and on the side of his waist was a faint red mark.
Looking closely, it looked like a handprint.
Gu Tang compared it with his own hand.
It wasn’t his.
He turned to look at young master Gu.
With both hands behind his back, Gu Qinian guiltily turned his head away.
Pulling his clothes back down, Gu Tang leaned in and stared at him. “Did Niannian pinch me?”
Unable to dodge the question, Gu Qinian gave a quiet “Mm.”
Even though he knew Gu Tang was fragile like a paper doll, he had never expected his skin to mark so easily. He had only held his waist while sleeping for one night. How had it turned red?
“Does it hurt?”
he asked softly.
Gu Tang shook his head. “It doesn’t hurt, but next time be gentler. Red marks don’t look nice.”
There was going to be a next time?
Gu Qinian studied Gu Tang’s expression.
The boy looked perfectly calm. His clear eyes were open and honest. He didn’t look upset, nor was there even a trace of shyness.
Gu Tang’s openness made young master Gu’s feelings even more complicated.
Gu Tang knew nothing at all, so pure and clean he was like a blank sheet of paper.
And he had no guard up against him whatsoever.
Gu Qinian couldn’t help cursing himself in his heart.
—Pervert.
And yet, once feelings had taken root and sprouted, no matter how much he wanted to restrain them, they couldn’t truly be hidden.
Even knowing he shouldn’t, he still couldn’t stop himself from probing, from hoping to receive even the tiniest bit of response.
In a low voice, Gu Qinian asked, “You still dare to sleep with me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll hurt you?”
Lately, young master Gu always lowered his voice when he spoke, as though he were afraid of startling something.
Gu Tang glanced around. There wasn’t anyone else nearby, but for some reason, he also lowered his voice along with him. Worried the other boy wouldn’t hear, he leaned close to young master Gu’s ear and whispered, “Niannian wouldn’t.”
How could he not?
He actually really wanted to…
But before Gu Qinian could even let his heart race, Gu Tang completely ruined the mood by adding, “Niannian sleeps so properly, he doesn’t move at all. It’d be more likely for me to hurt you.”
As he spoke, he even gave him a mischievous little blink.
Gu Qinian: “……”
On the journey back, young master Gu, tormented by the unripe fruit of first love, was quieter than ever.
Gu Tang only thought he was tired. He thoughtfully covered him with a blanket one moment, fed him snacks the next, without realizing that every little thing he did looked to young master Gu like—teasing without even knowing it!
Gu Qinian was so irritated his head hurt.
There was someone he wanted to cherish fiercely.
That person was so adorable that every second he wanted to take him apart and swallow him whole.
And yet this person knew absolutely nothing, still wandering around right in front of him and making him restless.
Gu Tang had no idea what was going on in young master Gu’s head. At the moment, he was listening to the system talk about key plot points.
[Host, after the male lead’s car accident and falling into the water, we’ve entered a new chapter of the plot.]
Gu Tang nodded. “Right, you told me that.”
[But it’s not that simple!]
The system was howling in his mind.
Gu Tang scratched his ear. “Stop yelling. I’m going deaf.”
[Senior specifically came to tell me just now that earlier, the plot had been easier to complete because the male lead’s orphanage arc was changed by the host, so a blank stage appeared. During that phase, whatever the host did, as long as it matched a corresponding plot point, it counted as clearing it.]
[But from now on, that won’t work anymore!]
Gu Tang tensed up. “Then what do I need to do?”
[Strictly play the role of the fake young master and complete the corresponding plot in this new chapter.]
In the original novel, after Gu Qinian’s car accident, he recovered his identity and was brought back to the Gu family. But that didn’t mean he immediately stepped onto a smooth road toward becoming the Gu heir.
There was still an annoying cannon-fodder fake young master in the Gu household, constantly causing trouble for him.
And the fake young master repeatedly jumping around in the male lead’s danger zone was no exaggeration.
The moment Gu Qinian returned home, the fake young master started stirring things up. Very quickly, he caused Father Gu and Mother Gu to misunderstand the male lead, and cracks began to appear between them.
After that, Gu Qinian was neglected and eventually even exiled overseas to study.
And because of that, the road was paved for the male lead’s rise.
Later, relying on his extraordinary learning ability, Gu Qinian not only completed his studies ahead of schedule abroad, but also started his own new energy company at eighteen.
Gu Tang clapped his hands. “Niannian is amazing!”
[Is this really the time to praise the male lead?!]
[Host, you should be thinking about how to trip him up and make it impossible for him to stay in the Gu household, so he gets sent abroad!]
The system was extremely worried.
Its host’s work efficiency was certainly high, but he couldn’t do bad things at all.
But a task was a task. There was no room for negotiation.
[Host, can you even do it?]
Gu Tang didn’t know either.
So he answered honestly, “Let nature take its course.”
By the time they got home, it was already late.
From afar, they could see the Gu residence glowing with warm yellow light in the dusk. The sheer area occupied by those lights alone was astonishing.
It was bright outside, but when Gu Tang and Gu Qinian went inside, they found the first-floor hall dark.
The two of them exchanged a look in the dark.
Neither said anything.
A few seconds later, the elders couldn’t hold out anymore. With a click, the lights came on, and they all emerged one after another.
“Happy birthday!”
Su Mei walked in front, with the butler beside her pushing an enormous strawberry cake.
Gu Quan and Gu Lin were also holding celebration balloons, and after catching Su Mei’s meaningful glance, they crushed them with loud pops to create a lively atmosphere.
Gu Tang’s eyes curved. “Thank you.”
It wasn’t midnight yet, so technically it was still his and little Gu Qinian’s birthday.
Even though the two of them had already privately celebrated a small birthday the night before while away, once they got home, the elders still insisted on celebrating again.
No one had remembered his birthday before.
Now he was celebrating one birthday several times over.
Gu Tang felt that heaven had treated him rather well. Everything he had been denied in his previous life had been repaid to him in this one.
It would have been even better if he didn’t have to be the bad guy.
Such a good Gu family. Such a good Niannian. He didn’t want to hurt a single one of them.
He glanced at the life bar floating above.
His health was still pretty full.
He had made up his mind.
He would just let the life value drain however it wanted. After all, in his previous life he had only lived to eighteen. Compared with that, this life was already far more wonderful.
He absolutely refused to stir up trouble and send young master Gu off to a foreign land alone!
Lifting a smile, Gu Tang took the slice of cake the butler handed him, and just as in every past year, held the first strawberry out to young master Gu’s lips. “Want to eat it?”
The cool strawberry pressed against his lips.
Gu Qinian had originally been about to shake his head, but when he met Gu Tang’s sincere gaze, he opened his mouth involuntarily.
Letting the other boy feed the strawberry to him.
He had just been about to say something when suddenly a gentle female voice rang out.
“Babies, Mommy’s back!”
Shen Ningqing had finished her filming work and rushed back specially for the children’s birthday. She came forward and hugged both boys, who were now already taller than she was.
But after hugging darling Tang for barely two seconds, her own son pulled her away.
“All right, Gu Tang’s grown up. A quick hug is enough.”
Young master Gu reminded her in a cool voice, “Don’t go to a few overseas film festivals and come back embracing Western habits. We Chinese still care more about restraint.”
“……”
Shen Ningqing reached up and ruffled her son’s hair. “That kid of mine rarely says more than a few words, but the moment anyone hugs darling Tang, suddenly he has endless nonsense to say.”
After saying that, she went right back to hugging Gu Tang and refused to let go.
Her own son wouldn’t let her hug him, so what was wrong with hugging darling Tang instead?
Gu Tang stood there obediently without moving.
Although Shen Ningqing was always busy and often away from home, she had never once let up in caring for the children.
As for his mother in his previous life, Gu Tang’s memories of her were very vague. During the more than ten years he’d spent in the hospital, she had only visited him a handful of times. Normally they barely even kept in touch. By the time his life was nearing its end, his mother had almost vanished altogether.
In this life, he hadn’t had the chance to meet his biological mother either. For a long time now, Shen Ningqing had been the one playing the role of mother.
He lifted his arms and hugged her slender frame in return. “Auntie Shen has worked hard outside. Rest well now that you’re home.”
That way of calling her had been carried over from his childhood.
It had never changed. He just kept calling her that naturally.
And the Gu family had never demanded that he change it either. They had always let him do whatever felt comfortable.
Shen Ningqing rubbed Gu Tang’s cheek. “Come on, time to eat.”
To wait for Gu Tang and Gu Qinian, dinner had been pushed back until after nine.
Gu Tang had already been hungry for ages. The cake from just now had only been a pre-dinner snack.
He hadn’t eaten the Gu family chef’s food in quite a while, so the moment he sat down he buried himself in eating, only half-listening to the scattered conversation among the Gu elders.
He never expected that one of the topics would suddenly involve him.
Gu Lin suddenly looked over at him.
Gu Tang: “? Uncle, is something up?”
Gu Lin was clearly excited, his eyes shining as he stared at Gu Tang, but what came out of his mouth was directed at Shen Ningqing. “Sister-in-law, are you saying it or am I saying it?”
“I’ll do it.”
Shen Ningqing stepped in at once, clearly afraid Gu Lin would fail to explain it properly.
These past few years, Shen Ningqing had stepped behind the camera as a director and also worked as a producer on some film projects. Recently, she had a movie project collaborating with Xinglin Media, and they were casting.
Shen Ningqing said, “There’s a role in it that darling Tang is especially suitable for.”
Gu Tang froze. “But I don’t know how to act…”
Shen Ningqing shook her head. “You don’t need to be very skilled. That youthful, green feeling would be perfect. The moment I saw that role, I immediately thought of our darling Tang. Whether it’s in appearance or temperament, you fit it too well!”
At the same time, Shen Ningqing also said that Gu Tang was still young, and that studying should come first.
Her suggestion was, “No need to force yourself. If you’re interested, why not read the script first and get a sense of it?”
After dinner, Gu Tang sat by the windowsill with the script in his arms.
He had read all of Qinian’s Glory, so he knew the movie Shen Ningqing was talking about would become explosively popular in the future.
The role Shen Ningqing wanted him to play was the Ninth Prince, raised in the deep palace from childhood, pure-hearted and kind, but in the end turned into a sacrifice in the struggle for power by the male lead Crown Prince.
The Ninth Prince was the cleanest presence in the entire movie, and also the one audiences found hardest to get over. Though he had very little screen time, his character was deeply pitiful and easy for viewers to love.
[Host, it looks like the cannon-fodder fake young master’s career line is opening too.]
The system reminded him quietly in his head.
Gu Tang nodded. “I know.”
The original novel had described the cannon-fodder fake young master very little, but it had hinted at a few things.
It was precisely because of this movie that the fake young master entered the entertainment industry under the male lead’s mother’s guidance.
Because their career paths aligned, the male lead’s mother loved the fake young master more and more. When she later won Best Director, she even pulled only the fake young master up onto the stage with her and told the audience, “This is the son I’m proud of. Thank him for supporting my career.”
Not a single word about her biological son.
That was also what fully chilled the male lead’s heart. From then on, he stopped having any expectations of the Gu family and silently built up his own career.
Although he did successfully rise in the end, when Gu Tang read the book, he had always felt that Boss Gu must have been lonely.
No family around him.
No friends.
Whether he even had a lover was a big question mark.
But judging by the cold and distant way little Gu treated girls in daily life, that seemed doubtful too…
“No matter how successful your career is, if your feelings have nowhere to belong, what happiness is there in that?”
Gu Tang stroked the edge of the script with his fingers, his legs swinging lightly.
He didn’t want such a good young master Gu to grow into the kind of lonely, boring Boss Gu from the book.
“What role are you acting?”
A cool male voice came from behind him, and then the script in his hands was taken away.
Turning around, Gu Tang saw young master Gu leaning against the window frame beside him, looking down at the script. His long lashes cast two shadows beneath his eyes. His nose bridge was high and elegant, and those vivid rose-colored lips were pressed into a straight line.
After reading for a while, the gorgeous, tall teenager said, “It really does suit you.”
“Do you want to act it?”
he asked, looking at him.
Gu Tang shook his head. “I haven’t decided yet…”
Gu Qinian closed the script and sat beside him. “If you want to act, then act.”
Even without saying it outright, young master Gu knew that his Gu Tang had loved chasing excitement since childhood. He wanted to try anything new, anything fun. Acting was something Gu Tang had never played with before, so naturally he had to be curious.
“You don’t need to worry about anything.”
Wanting to give him some confidence, young master Gu nervously and carefully took hold of Gu Tang’s hand. With his ears red, he said, “I’ll always support you.”
“Really?”
Gu Tang was touched and leaned against his shoulder. “Niannian, you’re so good.”
Here it came again…
Young master Gu closed his eyes for a moment, suppressing the stirring in his heart.
Before he could say anything, Gu Tang muttered,
“This role is pretty hard, though. There’s even a small romantic subplot. I don’t know if I can act it well…”
“What?!”
Gu Qinian snatched the script and flipped through it with a flap flap flap. “A romantic subplot? Where?”
Gu Tang had no idea why young master Gu was suddenly in such a rush, but he flipped to the relevant page for him anyway. “Right here. I haven’t read it carefully yet…”
“No!”
“Romantic scenes are absolutely not okay!”
The young master Gu who had just sworn he would support him instantly changed his face.
Gu Tang did want to act, but young master Gu fiercely opposed it.
[And there it is! The conflict between the true and fake young masters!]
[Congratulations, Host, you’ve completed the key plot “Having a disagreement with the male lead”! Reward: 30 life points and 3 plot coins!]
[Host, you’re amazing!]
The system was so excited its electronic voice was trembling.
Seeing how conflicted the host had looked just now, it had thought the tasks in this new chapter were doomed.
But who would’ve thought!
That godlike completion speed!
So this was the power of its host—truly terrifying!
Being carried like this felt incredible, wuwuwu…
Gu Tang, on the other hand, was completely confused.
In front of him was young master Gu, firmly opposed to him taking the acting role. In his head was the system shrieking excitedly.
Everything felt noisy and chaotic all at once. His lips parted, but he didn’t know what to say.
And the moment he looked like he was about to speak—
young master Gu got even angrier and threw the script aside. “Will there be kissing in the romantic subplot? No. Absolutely not!”
The moment he heard the word “kissing,” heat exploded across Gu Tang’s cheeks.
“No!”
But in truth, he hadn’t even finished reading that part.
He couldn’t actually say for sure how far the Ninth Prince’s romantic subplot went, or whether it involved kissing.
He was just too embarrassed, so denial came out instinctively.
Hearing the two of them arguing, Gu Lin strolled over in his usual easy way, talking like a seasoned insider in the industry. “It’s fine. In our line of work, people know how to separate the role from reality. If actors fell in love every time they acted in one movie, what would become of the world…”
Before he could finish, young master Gu yanked him by the collar.
Come here, you!
Gu Lin was over 180 cm tall, but was still ruthlessly height-suppressed by his nephew. Lifted by the collar, he practically ended up on tiptoe.
The Gu family’s little uncle slapped at his nephew’s hand. “Hey, hey, hey! Let go! Gu Qinian, you’re getting worse and worse about respecting elders!”
Gu Qinian’s expression darkened. “Answer me. Is there kissing or not?”
“No, no!”
Unable to win against his little nephew, Gu Lin had to wave helplessly. “The Ninth Prince is only fifteen in the setting. It’s very subtle. He’s childhood sweethearts with a little palace maid, they love each other, and after they’re discovered, the Crown Prince kills the maid.”
“Childhood sweethearts… in love…”
For some reason, young master Gu repeated those two phrases in his mind over and over.
Being a fundamentally honest child, Gu Tang sighed after hearing the plot. “The Crown Prince is so cruel.”
“Tell me about it.”
Gu Lin muttered, “That’s why we cast a deranged lunatic for the role.”
Gu Tang: “?”
Why was Uncle’s opinion of the lead actor so terrible?
But Gu Lin quickly continued, “Still, the arrangement fits the audience’s tastes. Childhood sweethearts always need a little regret to make it more tragic and beautiful…”
“This plot is awful!”
Young master Gu suddenly cut in, saying angrily, “Who says childhood sweethearts are destined to end in tragedy? Who would even watch this garbage if it were filmed?”
Gu Lin had no idea what on earth his little nephew was randomly angry about, but insulting his company’s project was absolutely unacceptable. He snapped back, “You little brat don’t even watch TV or movies. What do you know?”
Seeing the two about to start fighting, Gu Tang hurriedly stepped in as peacemaker. “All right, all right, I’ll read the script more carefully later.”
As he spoke, he rescued the now crumpled script from young master Gu’s hands.
Not far away, Shen Ningqing watched the three of them.
From her years acting, directing, and working in the industry, she had experienced every kind of human situation. What she was best at was observing people.
Tonight, darling Tang was normal. Gu Lin was normal.
Her son was not normal.
The moment darling Tang let go and stepped away, her son’s eyes turned dark and deep again, as though all light had vanished from them.
When darling Tang was around, her son was more like a human being.
The moment darling Tang left, Gu Qinian became like a beautiful doll without feelings.
“What do you want to say?”
The emotionless doll spoke indifferently, and there was even a faint trace of impatience in his tone.
Shen Ningqing didn’t take offense. She smiled and said, almost conversationally, “Without even noticing it, you and darling Tang have both grown so much.”
Gu Qinian stayed silent, waiting for the real point after her opening line.
Smiling, Shen Ningqing continued in an almost gossiping tone, “By the way, there must be quite a few girls at school who like you two, right?”
Gu Qinian denied it flatly. “No.”
Shen Ningqing looked surprised. “How could that be?”
Even if her son was a bit cold, his looks were first-rate. That face alone ought to be enough to attract people.
And taking a step back—even if Gu Qinian was too difficult for anyone to handle, darling Tang was like a little sunshine and cute as anything. How could no girls like him?
“There are school rules. Puppy love is forbidden.”
Gu Qinian was cold and hard as an iceberg.
I see.
Since her son was the student council president, Shen Ningqing understood immediately. “So it’s not that there weren’t any, it’s that you blocked them, right? In my opinion, there must be plenty of girls who like darling Tang.”
It was as though some hidden nerve had been violently struck.
Young master Gu frowned in displeasure.
Shen Ningqing lifted a brow. “You’re unhappy? Why?”
“Shouldn’t you be happy for darling Tang if girls are pursuing him?”
Gu Qinian: “……”
Young master Gu could tell that his mother’s words were loaded.
Shen Ningqing sighed gently and patted her son on the shoulder. “When darling Tang grows up, he’ll have his own life. And you’ll have your own things to do too.”
Gu Qinian’s brow twitched. “What?”
“Going out with your father to handle work and preparing to inherit the Gu family business.”
Gu Qinian asked, “When?”
Shen Ningqing glanced at the wall clock. “After your sixteenth birthday passes, you can go.”
Which meant…less than two hours left.
Inside the third-floor bedroom, Gu Tang slept hazily with the teddy bear in his arms.
Half-dreaming and half-awake,
his bear was pulled out of his embrace.
Gu Tang instinctively reached for it, hooked an arm around someone’s neck, and suddenly opened his eyes to meet a pair of dark, ink-black pupils.
“Niannian?”
The boy had just been sleeping, so his voice came out sticky and soft.
Gu Qinian lowered his eyes and looked at him, suppressing the urge to lower his head and kiss him. In a hoarse voice, he said, “I’m going away for a while.”
Gu Tang’s mind was still foggy, and he didn’t immediately understand what “going away” meant.
“Will you miss me?” young master Gu asked.
Normally, that kind of question only came from him to young master Gu. Young master Gu would never ask something like that.
He had to be dreaming.
That was what Gu Tang thought absentmindedly. With his eyes half-closed, he nodded. “I will.”
The boy’s arm hung around his neck. Gu Qinian lowered himself further, until their foreheads were almost touching.
“How much?” he asked.
Ah, definitely a dream.
Young master Gu would never chase after him with such clingy questions in real life.
But even in a dream, Gu Tang would answer every question from Niannian seriously.
His lips curved. “Very, very much.”
Young master Gu gave a cold snort. “I don’t believe you. You only know how to sweet-talk people.”
Sweet-talk with his mouth?
Gu Tang licked his lips, leaned in, and planted a loud kiss on young master Gu’s cheek.
Gu Qinian froze. Color spread across his jade-white face like watercolor soaking into paper, from the roots of his ears all the way down to the back of his neck.
After kissing him, Gu Tang even smacked his lips.
In a low, embarrassed voice, young master Gu scolded, “I told you, don’t kiss people so casually!”
Gu Tang, still drowsy, mumbled, “Do you want the other side too?”
Gu Qinian: “……”
Young master Gu didn’t say anything.
He simply and silently turned his head halfway.
***
Author’s Note:
Tang Tang: Completely handled.
